TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an arrangement for feeding sheets from a bundle
of sheets, and more particularly to an arrangement which includes a wheel, roller
or belt which, in operation, is located at one end of the bundle and which functions
to feed-out the outermost sheet of said bundle, and lifting means for lifting the
bundle in a direction towards the wheel, roller or belt. The lifting means includes
a post and a bundle-carrying plate which is movable up and down the post.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Arrangements of this kind are well known to the art, for instance from U.S. Patent
Specification 4,252,251, and have been found to function satisfactorily in practice.
Unfortunately, the construction includes many components where built-in tolerances
therebetween must be maintained within narrow limits in order to guarantee effective
functioning of the arrangement. This makes the lifting means of the arrangement expensive
to produce.
[0003] The object of the present invention is to reduce manufacturing costs, simplify installation
and make the construction more robust, by integrating different components of the
arrangement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] An inventive arrangement of the aforesaid kind includes: a spring element which locks
the plate to the post in a rest state and the free-end of which is fitted to the post
and defines an angle other than 90° with the longitudinal axis of the post, and the
other end of which is attached to the plate and movable at right angles to the post;
and an actuator which is fitted to the post close to the spring element and which
is releasably fastened mechanically to a drive means for moving the plate relative
to the post.
[0005] The spring element and the actuator are dimensioned and arranged so that when the
actuator is moved in a direction along the post, the actuator will cause the spring
element to release its locking action on the plate to the post and therewith enable
the plate to be moved along the post.
[0006] These and other characteristic features of an inventive arrangement are set forth
in the following Claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying
schematic drawings, in which
Fig. 1 illustrates a cassette comprising a post, plate and spring element; and
Figs. 2-4 illustrate different modifications of the spring element shown in Fig. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0008] The arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a cassette 10 which includes lifting
means 11-12 which function to lift a bundle of banknotes in a direction (upwards)
towards a wheel, roller or belt for feeding banknotes, or sheets, singly from the
bundle at the upper end of the cassette. The lifting means includes a post 11, which
extends completely through the cassette, and a bundle-carrying plate 12 which can
move up and down the post 11.
[0009] The arrangement also includes an actuator 14 which is fitted to the post 11 and releasably
fastened mechanically to a drive means (at 141) for moving the plate 12 relative to
the post 11. The drive means belongs to a cassette-embracing casing into which the
cassette is inserted in conjunction with a banknote dispensing operation. The plate
12 is locked to the post 11 by means of a spring element 13 having two free-ends 131,
132. The free-ends of the spring element 13 are fitted onto the post 11 and each defines
with the longitudinal axis of the post an angle other than 90° and slope or face away
from one another, wherein an intermediate part 133 which mutually connects the two
free-ends of the spring element is attached to the plate 12 and movable perpendicularly
to the post 11.
[0010] The actuator 14 has two legs 141, 142 and is fitted to the post 11 with the free-ends
131, 132 of the spring element located between the legs 141, 142. The leg 142 is drawn-out
(to the right) to enable the plate 12 to be manoeuvered manually.
[0011] The ends 131 and 132 of the spring element 13 must be squeezed together slightly
when fitting the spring element 13 to the post 11. When the spring element is fitted
in position on the post, the spring will lock the plate firmly to the post (possibly
with a bundle of banknotes on the plate) against upward and downward movement, by
virtue of the "jamming effect" caused by the ends of the spring element being positioned
obliquely to the post. In this regard, the ends 131, 132 may be provided with openings
or holes that are through-passed by the post 11 and which are dimensioned to allow
the post to pass freely therethrough when the ends 131, 132 extend generally perpendicular
to the post, and to engage the post when the ends 131, 132 are in the sloping positions
shown in the drawings.
[0012] The drive means provided in the casing may have, for instance, the form of a screw-threaded
spindle which rotates about its longitudinal axis and engages in one end of the leg
141, which in this case may have the form of a nut. When the plate 12 is to be moved
along the post, for instance downwards in order to load the cassette, the spindle
is turned in the actuator leg 141 such as to cause this leg to move the end 131 of
the spring element downwards and therewith decrease the obliqueness of its one end
with the post axis, wherewith the jamming effect is temporarily nullified and the
whole of the banknote-carrying plate 12 accompanies said downward movement.
[0013] It will be noted that as the end 131 of the spring element is caused to move downwards,
the intermediate part 133 of the spring element (i.e. the remaining end of the part
131) will be moved generally perpendicularly to the right in relation to the post
11.
[0014] When moving the plate 12 in the opposite direction (upwards), the rack is turned
in the other direction, so that the actuator leg 142 will cause the end 132 of the
spring element 13 to move upwards, wherewith the jamming effect is nullified and the
whole of the banknote-carrying plate will accompany said upward movement.
[0015] An inventive dispensing arrangement can be constructed in many different ways within
the scope of the inventive concept as expressed in the following main Claim.
[0016] Fig. 2 illustrates a modification in which the spring element 13 has only one free-end
134, which is fitted onto the post 11, and in which the remaining end 135 of the spring
element is slidably anchored in a groove in an attachment part 121 in the plate 12.
This embodiment enables the plate to be moved upwards, by gripping the plate and pressing
it upwards. When wishing to move the plate downwards, it is necessary to cause the
actuator 14 to move downwards, either by engagement of the drive means in the end
of the leg 141 outside the cassette, or by pulling on the extended end of the leg
142 (beneath the plate 12).
[0017] The spring element 13 may be easier to mount in the case of this embodiment than
in the case of the Fig. 1 embodiment.
[0018] Fig. 3 illustrates a modification which is quite similar to the embodiment shown
in Fig. 1. The spring element 13 also has two free-ends 131, 132, although these ends
face towards one another and each lies against a respective side of an actuator leg
143 which is common to both free-ends of the spring element. The intermediate part
133 connecting the two ends 131, 132 is anchored around two pins 122, 123 in the plate
12 and can be moved (pivoted) away from the post 11 when the actuator leg 143 acts
on the end 131 (when moving the plate 12 upwards) or on the end 132 when moving the
plate downwards.
[0019] In other respects, the embodiment functions in the same way as described with reference
to Fig. 1.
[0020] Fig. 4 illustrates a modified embodiment in which the spring element 13 has two free-ends
131, 132 which face away from one another and in which the interconnecting part 133
is anchored in a plastic member 134 having a U-shaped groove for receiving the intermediate
part 133. Provided centrally in the member 134 is an elongated hole for a screw mounted
in the plate 12. This enables the member 134 and therewith the spring element 13 to
move up and down the post 11 when the spring element 13 is acted upon by the actuator
14.
1. An arrangement for feeding sheets from a bundle of sheets, comprising a wheel, roller
or belt located, in operation, at one end of the bundle and functioning to feed-out
the outermost sheet of said bundle, and lifting means for lifting the bundle in a
direction towards the wheel, roller or belt, said lifting means comprising a post
and a bundle-carrying plate which can be moved up and down the post, characterized by a spring element (13) which locks the plate (12) to the post (11) in a rest position,
wherein the free-end of the spring element is fitted on the post and defines an angle
of other than 90° with the longitudinal axis of the post, and the remaining end of
which is attached to the plate (12) for movement perpendicularly to the post; and
by an actuator (14) which is fitted to the post (11) close to the spring element (13)
and which is releasably attached mechanically to a drive means for movement of the
plate (12) relative to the post (11), wherein the spring element (13) and the actuator
(14) are so dimensioned and arranged that when displacing the actuator in a direction
along the longitudinal axis of the post, the actuator actuates the spring element
in a manner to release the plate on the post and therewith enable the plate to move
along the post.
2. An arrangement according to Claim 1, characterized in that the spring element (13) has two free-ends (131, 132) which are fitted to
the post (11) and each of which defines with the post an angle other than 90°, wherein
said ends face towards one another and an intermediate part (133) connecting said
free-ends together is attached to the plate and movable perpendicular to the post;
and in that the actuator (14) has a part (143) which when the actuator is fitted to
the post (11) is located between the ends (131, 132) of the spring element (13).
3. An arrangement according to Claim 1, characterized in that the spring element (13) has two free-ends which are fitted onto the post
(11) and each of which defines with the post an angle other than 90°, wherein the
ends of the spring element face away from each other, and wherein an intermediate
part (133) connecting the two free-ends together is attached to the plate (12) and
can move perpendicularly to the post (11); and in that the actuator has two legs (141,
142) which, when the actuator is fitted to the post (11), are located on respective
sides of the free-ends (131, 132) of the spring element.
4. An arrangement according to Claim 3, characterized in that one of the two legs (142) is drawn-out to facilitate manual manoeuvering
of the plate (12).